The avidin-biotin affinity-based technology has found wide applicability in numerous fields of biology and biotechnology since the pioneering work by Dr. Edward Bayer and Dr. Meier Wilchek in the 1970's. The affinity constant between avidin and biotin is remarkably high and is not significantly lessened when biotin is coupled to a wide variety of biomolecules. This affinity is substantially maintained even when derivatized forms of the biotin are employed and numerous chemistries have been identified for coupling biomolecules to biotin with minimal or negligible loss in the activity or other desired characteristics of the biomolecule. Originally applied to purification and localization procedures for biologically active macromolecules, avidin-biotin technology today has widespread use in medical diagnostics. Newer applications which continue to be developed include affinity targeting, cell cytometry, blotting technology, drug delivery, hybridoma technology, human stem cell selection and reinfusion as well as several approaches to enzyme capture. In some applications, avidin is immobilized onto an inert material over which a solution containing biotinylated biomolecules is passed. The affinity of the biotin for the avidin provides for the separation of the biomolecule from the solution. A review of the biotin-avidin technology can be found in Applications of Avidin-Biotin Technology to Affinity-Based Separation, Bayer, et al., J. of Chromatography, 1990, pgs. 3-11.
EP 592242 describes a novel fibrin sealant based on fibrin monomer as opposed to the traditional fibrinogen-based sealants and involves subjecting fibrinogen to a thrombin-like enzyme which is preferably removed after such treatment. EP 592242 describes that the enzyme capture and removal can be accomplished by using biotinylated batroxobin which can be recaptured with an avidin material. The fibrin monomer sealant described in EP 592242 is advantageously completely autologous. Since autologous fibrin sealants can not always be prepared in advance, autologous processes which provide such sealants in short periods of time (i.e., less than one hour or Preferably less than 30 minutes) from the patients' own blood provide a great advantage over current techniques and products. The speed with which such autologous processes can be carried out is dependent to a large degree on the activity of the biotin-and avidin-based reagents. Commercially available immobilized avidin typically contains about 200 to 400 biotin binding units (BBU) of activity (where 1 BBU will bind 1 .mu.g of .alpha.-biotin) per gram cf lyophilized powder (e.g., avidin on acrylic beads from Sigma) or about 20 to 50 BBU per milliliter of slurry or gel (e.g., avidin on agarose available from Sigma and Pierce).
Also, the above fibrin monomer technology and other biological applications would benefit from more convenient forms of avidin-and biotin-based reagents. For example, the processing necessary to prepare such compositions can have an adverse effect on the activity levels since many of the coupling/immobilization techniques involve materials which can significantly reduce these activities. Additionally, systems which reduce or eliminate leaching of avidin or of the avidin-biotin complexes would be advantageous in many applications. Further, many biological applications would be greatly enhanced by the availability of high activity avidin compositions which could be lyophilized and further, terminally sterilized while maintaining stability. Clearly, avidin compositions having higher avidin activity levels with greater stability, especially in freeze dried powder forms capable of withstanding terminal sterilization, e.g., gamma irradiation, would be an advance in the art.